The most effective USB-C hub for 2025

If you wish to get probably the most out of your pill or laptop computer, a USB-C hub may also help. Utilizing a single USB-C slot in your moveable laptop, a hub offers you again lacking connections like HDMI, USB Sort A and C, Ethernet, reminiscence card slots and extra. After testing greater than a dozen fashions, we predict the UGreen Revodok Pro 109 is the perfect USB-C hub for most individuals. However we have now a really helpful price range mannequin and a premium choose to provide you extra choices. We additionally break down port sorts, energy supply capabilities and design issues that will help you make the correct alternative before you purchase.

Desk of contents

Greatest USB-C hubs for 2025

Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

The “109” in UGreen’s Revodok Pro 109 USB-C hub seemingly stands for the nine-in-one declare in its advertising and marketing supplies, however since a kind of ports is energy solely, the variety of downstream connectors makes it extra of an eight-in-one. Nevertheless it’s a great-performing hub nonetheless. It has all of the hookups that is perhaps lacking from a contemporary laptop computer, together with SD slots, USB-A ports, an Ethernet connection and an HDMI hookup.

The 4K decision and 60Hz refresh price regarded nice on my check monitor and the info switch charges had been forward of different hubs in its value vary. The velocity check on an Ethernet cable was on par with that of a costlier docking station, and I appreciated the design of the microSD slot. Most readers have you ever insert the cardboard all the way in which in, counting on a spring mechanism to push it again out once you’re finished. Right here, the tip stands out simply sufficient that you may merely pull the cardboard out. These spring-loaded ejectors by no means work on the primary strive for me, so this can be a extra elegant answer.

There’s only one usable downstream USB-C port; the opposite is simply able to delivering energy to your system. I want there was simply one extra USB-C so it might deal with each, say, a USB-C keyboard and webcam. However the three USB-A ports, with one supporting as much as 10Gbps charges, principally make up for that oversight. Total, the hub performs effectively and gives a well-rounded collection of connectors. If you happen to’d favor a DisplayPort connection and do not want the info card slots, take a look at UGreen’s 8-in-1 Revodok hub.

It was truthfully a troublesome name between this and the Anker 555 8-in-1 for the highest suggestion. They’ve a reasonably related port array and the Anker USB-C hub is $15 cheaper. However the UGreen hub has a extra premium construct and a wire that is about two inches longer, plus there’s one further USB-A port that might definitely come in useful.

Execs

Good array of ports
HDMI 2.0 helps 4K screens at 60Hz
Beneficiant 10-inch cable
Three USB-A ports

Cons

Only one downstream USB-C port

$38 at Amazon

Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

This was my first expertise with a Wavlink product, as I used to be beforehand solely aware of them as a Wi-Fi router and extender model. My preliminary impression of the Wavlink USB-C 4K@60Hz was disappointment at its generic identify, however the performance-to-price ratio is so spectacular, it will get a cross for the shortage of branding pizazz.

It’s slimmer than most hubs at about an inch-and-a-half large, but the cable itself is a pair inches longer than the norm. The unit and the cables simply tuck behind a laptop computer, significantly because the ports run alongside only one edge, with the HDMI connection on the finish.

The cable can be braided, making it really feel extra premium than its $30 price ticket would recommend — which is the overall theme right here. The HDMI 2.0 port can deal with a 4K exterior monitor at 60Hz, which ought to be loads zippy sufficient for a median workday, and I discovered the decision and lack of lag to be simply as marketed.

One of many two USB-A ports helps speedy 10Gbps transfers and the only USB-C jack is able to the identical price. The webcam carried out effectively, even with a USB-A streaming mild at full brightness (one thing different hubs had bother with), and I discovered knowledge switch speeds to exterior drives to be on par with and even quicker than costlier hubs.

In fact, having only one downstream USB-C connection places a restrict in your setup: You may have, for instance, a USB-C webcam or a USB-C keyboard plugged in, not each. However when you want one thing with good monitor output, a few high-quality USB ports and a compact design, this can be a good choose.

I additionally advocate Plugable’s equally cleverly named USB-C 4-in-1 hub. It’s a greenback cheaper than the Wavlink choice with an identical array of ports that every one carried out effectively in my exams. In the end, its shorter tethered cable and single USB-C port that both delivers energy or runs a peripheral led me to favor Wavlink’s mannequin. However when you don’t must cost your system by the port, you get a great hub for the cash with Plugable’s system.

Execs

Slim and compact
Beneficiant 10-inch cable
Nice value

Cons

Only one downstream USB-C port

$13 at Amazon

Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

One challenge with most USB-C hubs is an ironic lack of obtainable downstream USB-C ports. Many prime out at two, and a kind of usually delivers energy solely and might’t run peripherals. Throughout three keyboard guides, our suggestions overwhelmingly require USB-C connectivity, all however one in every of our recommended webcams use USB-C and lots of exterior storage drives depend on that port as effectively. Which means if you’d like a hub that connects your keys, digital camera and a drive on the similar time, it’s a must to hunt for one thing appropriate.

The EZQuest Slim Gen 2 hub offers you not only one or two usable Sort-C ports, however 5 of them. It’s additionally one of many few hubs that has a removable cable (and the equipped one is a beneficiant 20 inches lengthy). One port is for video output with a claimed 4K output at 60Hz — simply notice that this connector doesn’t help audio or drive different peripherals. The remaining 4 ports adhere to the USB 3.1 Gen 2 commonplace, delivering as much as 10Gbps. As with every hub, the extra gadgets you might have plugged in, the decrease the speeds every port will have the ability to ship, in order that max 10-gigabit price is for one port at a time.

The connections had been loads for my setup, dealing with a keyboard, mouse, webcam and streaming mild all on the similar time. (Since I haven’t got a USB-C monitor, I plugged the HDMI cable instantly into my laptop computer). Even totally loaded, the unit stayed comparatively cool. Whereas the included cable is lengthy, the hub itself is tremendous compact and concerning the dimension of a Skor bar. All of the ports come out of 1 facet, so just like the price range choose above, it’s straightforward to rearrange all of your connections to look neat in your desk.

Execs

Loads of USB-C ports
Removable and lengthy 20-inch cable

Cons

No USB-A ports
No HDMI port (helps USB-C video)

$80 at Amazon

Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

At $140, the worth of Belkin’s Connect Universal hub is edging into docking-station territory. Nevertheless it doesn’t require a devoted energy provide and it has a compact construct, so it’s nonetheless decidedly a hub. That value bump does get you just a few options that almost all hubs don’t have, specifically the choice of three USB-C ports (one port can be utilized for both energy supply or accent help) and twin prolonged shows with an Apple MacBook (after you obtain the SiliconMotion driver).

A lot of the hubs I examined had twin HDMI ports, however the second exterior show was solely able to mirroring the primary monitor and invariably dropped the decision of each supplemental screens. SiliconMotion’s InstantView software program will get round that by basically “sharing” a view of a tertiary display screen with the second monitor. That second monitor has a most refresh price of 30Hz for 4K resolutions, however the first exterior show retains its 4K@60Hz visuals. I haven’t examined each choice on the market, however from what I’ve seen, that’s fairly good for a USB-C hub — something extra and also you’re seemingly a docking station.

The Join Common 8-in-1 is on the bigger finish of the spectrum for this class, measuring about the identical as an iPhone however about twice as thick. The multitude of plugs meant I might run a webcam, keyboard, mouse, Litra mild, two screens and join an Ethernet cable. There was nonetheless one USB-C port left over for an exterior drive or energy (although I simply used my MacBook’s MagSafe port). And since they’re all on one facet, the association on a desk seems tidy, avoiding the spidery look of a hub with ports on all sides.

Shunting all of this connectivity does make the unit get fairly sizzling: it appeared to get hotter than the entire different items I attempted. Whereas I by no means observed any ailing results consequently, I solely used it over the course of a pair days and wonder if there’d be any heat-related points with prolonged use.

Execs

A number of ports
Good number of ports
Driver permits for 2 prolonged exterior shows

Cons

Costly
Will get very popular throughout use

$140 at Belkin

What to search for in a USB-C hub

Hub vs docking station

The very first thing to determine is whether or not you want a USB-C hub or a USB-C docking station. There’s no set commonplace for what differentiates the 2, however docking stations are likely to have extra ports, supply a separate DC energy adapter and price extra, with some reaching upwards of $400. We now have a separate information to the best docking stations to take a look at when you’re in search of one thing greater than what we’re discussing right here. USB-C hubs, in distinction, have between 4 and 10 ports, can help pass-through charging and usually value between $30 and $150.

Hubs, typically additionally referred to as dongles and even multiport adapters, make extra sense for smaller setups with just some peripherals, comparable to a monitor, a wired keyboard and mouse, and the occasional exterior drive. They’re additionally extra moveable, since they’re small and require no devoted energy. That may very well be helpful when you change work areas however need to carry your equipment with you, or if you wish to substitute your laptop computer with a more powerful tablet. A docking station or thunderbolt dock makes extra sense for somebody who wants a strong setup for his or her laptop computer, together with a number of exterior screens, webcams, stream decks, microphones and so forth.

Each docks and hubs make it straightforward to seize your laptop computer off your desk for a gathering or different transient relocation and once you get again, you solely must plug in a single cable to get all of your equipment reconnected.

Ports

For a USB-C hub to work, it wants to connect with a port in your laptop computer or pill that helps video, knowledge and energy — all of which is roofed by something listed as USB 3.0 or higher, together with USB4 and Thunderbolt 3 and 4. The port, in fact, must be Sort-C as effectively. The ocean of laptops out there may be huge, so it’s arduous to make generalizations, however fashionable laptops, together with Home windows and Apple fashions, ought to have a minimum of one USB-C port that may suffice, and certainly, each one in every of our prime picks for the best laptops do.

Subsequent, it’s a matter of discovering a great USB-C hub that has the correct connections on your wants. Most hubs supply some combo of HDMI, USB, SD card reader, Ethernet and three.5 mm ports. You probably have a 4K monitor and would really like a minimum of a 60Hz refresh price, you’ll want a hub with an HDMI 2.0 port — HDMI 1.4 solely goes as much as 30Hz. HDMI 2.1 will deal with 4K at as much as 120Hz, however hubs which have adopted that commonplace aren’t as widespread simply but. Understand that a low refresh price may cause your display screen to really feel laggy, making your mouse seem glitchy and your webcam actions to look delayed.

Further USB ports on these equipment are often Sort-A or Sort-C. They’ll help knowledge with totally different switch charges, usually 5Gbps or 10Gbps. Some ports solely deal with passthrough energy and no knowledge, and a few can do knowledge, energy and video, so it’s greatest to examine the spec record to ensure you’re getting the help you want. Understand that a hub might invoice itself as a 7-in-1, however a kind of ports will not be usable for something aside from charging.

Customary SD and microSD slots are helpful for transferring knowledge from cameras and the like or for offloading recordsdata out of your arduous drive. Ethernet ports might ship quicker web speeds than your Wi-Fi and a hub with a 3.5mm jack can carry again the wired headphone connection that some laptops have ditched.

Energy supply

Almost the entire USB-C hubs I examined help passthrough charging. Which means in case your laptop computer or pill solely prices through USB, you don’t should take up one other port in your laptop computer to maintain all the things topped up. Not like a docking station, powering a hub is elective. The one exception is if you wish to shut the lid in your laptop computer whilst you work on an exterior monitor. Most computer systems will go into sleep mode if the lid is closed with out energy, so both the laptop computer or the hub will have to be plugged into the wall to forestall that from occurring.

Lots of the newer hubs embrace a 100W USB-C energy supply (PD) port, with a wholesome 80 to 85 watts going to your Mac, PC or pill (the hubs take somewhat of the juice for themselves, therefore the 15-watt or so distinction). In my exams, a powered USB hub ran hotter than when it wasn’t passing the cost by, so I favor to energy the pc instantly utilizing its personal charger. However for tablets or different units with no further ports, that PD choice is essential.

Some PD ports are additionally knowledge ports — which is each good and unhealthy. On one hand, it feels wasteful to make use of a wonderfully good knowledge port only for boring previous electrical energy. However alternatively, USB-C connections that solely carry a cost are much less versatile, and it makes it look like it has extra accent hookups than it truly does.

Design

There’s surprisingly little design variation amongst hubs. Most appear to be a flat slab, somewhat smaller than a smartphone, and have an hooked up Sort-C host cable. The hues vary from a silvery black to a silvery grey. Some are thinner than others, some have all ports on one edge and a few have ports on each side. All of that is simply to say that aesthetics most likely gained’t make or break your shopping for determination.

One variation that might tip the scales is the size of the cable. An extended one provides you with extra freedom as you organize the hub in your desk, probably even letting you conceal it behind your laptop computer. Or it’s possible you’ll favor a shorter one to maintain the hub neatly set beside your laptop computer.

How we check USB-C hubs

Earlier than we check something, we check out what’s obtainable and the way they’ve been acquired by consumers, forum-goers and different publications. I grew to become aware of just a few respected manufacturers after I was testing docking stations, so I regarded into hubs from these firms as effectively. I targeted on gadgets that might assist with a median day of productiveness — not high-end setups or demanding gaming conditions. As soon as I settled on a dozen or so that might make good candidates, I had them shipped to my humble workplace within the desert and began testing them out over the course of some weeks.

I used an M1 MacBook Professional operating MacOS Sonoma because the host laptop and plugged in equipment that embrace a 4K Dell monitor, a ZSA USB-C ergo keyboard, a Logitech USB-A gaming mouse, an Elgato USB-C 4K webcam, a Logitech streaming mild, a USB-A 3.0 Sandisk thumb drive, a USB-C Samsung T7 Protect exterior drive and a pair of wired headphones I obtained free of charge on an airplane (I ought to most likely put money into some wired headphones, however the wire dangling on my chest drives me nutty so all my earbuds are wi-fi). I used high-end HDMI and USB-C cables to make sure that any knowledge or connectivity points weren’t associated to my gear.

Then I put every USB-C hub by a gamut of fundamental exams. I checked out what may very well be plugged in without delay, the decision on the monitor, knowledge switch speeds, the general construct high quality of the hub and common usability components, like the location of the ports and the size of the cords. And, lastly, the price-to-value ratio helped decide the perfect ones for just a few totally different use instances.

Different hubs we examined

HyperDrive Subsequent 10 Port USB-C Hub

There’s so much to love about HyperDrive’s Next 10 Port USB-C Hub. The tethered cable is a lavish 13 inches lengthy, the HDMI 2.0 port outputs clear and crisp 4K visuals at 60Hz and the info transfers are screaming quick. It has the coveted two USB-C knowledge ports plus a PD port, and there’s even a headphone jack. The one factor that holds again a full-throated endorsement is the way in which our unit dealt with a streaming mild. Having it on at full brightness made the webcam flicker each time. The problem went away at 75 p.c brightness, however the identical drawback didn’t occur on another hub I examined.

Anker 341 USB-C Hub (7-in-1)

There’s nothing flawed with the Anker 341 USB-C hub. In reality it’s a present suggestion in our iPad accessories guide and it comes at an awesome $35 value. It offers you two USB-A ports in addition to SD slots. However at this level, a 1.4 HDMI connection, which solely helps 4K decision at 30Hz feels somewhat retro. There’s additionally only a single USB-C downstream port and the info switch exams proved to be a contact slower than the opposite hubs. However when you’ve obtained a decrease decision monitor and don’t want multiple USB-C, you gained’t be dissatisfied with it.

Anker 555 8-in-1

It was a troublesome name between the UGreen Revodoc Professional 109 and the Anker 555 8-in-1 for our prime suggestion. Each have an identical port array with an HDMI, Ethernet, two USB Sort A, a PD USB-C and a USB-C 3.2 on the 555. And the Anker USB-C hub is $15 cheaper. We went with the UGreen hub for its extra premium construct, further USB-A port and longer wire that provides you two further inches to work with. However if you wish to save a couple of dollars this hub is a worthwhile choose.

Startech 4-Port USB-C Hub (knowledge solely)

I solely grew to become conscious of Startech after I began researching for this information. The standard is respectable and the yellow accents are a welcome little bit of shade within the in any other case very grey world of hubs. The efficiency is strong, with no hiccups that I encountered. The model’s 4-Port USB-C Hub has a protracted wire that wraps across the hub itself, which is exclusive. It doesn’t trouble with energy supply, which isn’t a difficulty when you can energy your laptop instantly. However the 4 USB ports (three Sort-A and one Sort-C) max out at 5Gbps and there’s no HDMI connector. It goes for $46, and sadly for it, there are cheaper methods to get just a few extra USB ports on your setup.